Red Jacket, Blue Ribbon, and All That
by annienonienomious
Summary: Father and Son Duo decided to make up for the time they had lost. (Snippets of Arturia's and Mordred's daily life following the events from 'Until Now')
1. Start

It was during lunch when Mordred returned. She took Kairi with her, claiming to Shirou and Rin (who was visiting) that "my Master wanna' meet King Arthur", but it seemed that they just wanted free foods.

"So what will be your reason for staying here?" Arturia asked the two people sitting in front of her.

"That we're broke?" Mordred suggested before she opened the miso soup bowl in clear enthusiasm. "I mean my Master here is kinda' low on money-"

"Hey!"

"I had to spend my days in catacombs while he - _I don't know_ \- did things."

"Well," Shirou interjected. "I don't mind with having you guys around. But I have my guardian around…"

"Ah, right! Fujimura-sensei!"

Kairi set his chopsticks down. "If your guardian's worried about daily supplies, we can pay the groceries ourselves," he convinced, wanting to help his former Servant to rebuild her father-son bond and everything related.

Shirou waved his hand. "No, no! It's just that…" he turned his eyes to all the girls in the room. "Fuji-nee might not approve it."

"Then we will be Father's acquaintances. I'm the cousin, and my Master's the uncle," Mordred concluded with her mouth full of foods. "With us too, that guardian of yours do not have to worry about you," she pointed at Shirou, "And Father staying under the same roof while she's not around!"

It was a rather brilliant excuse, seeing how the Tohsaka girl nodding her head in agreement afterwards.


	2. Age

"Father."

"Yes?"

"At what age did you pull the sword out from the stone?"

To the question, Arturia stopped wrapping the bandages around her abdomen. For after centuries, she found herself in a room alone with her son, making conversation after conversation. Once she dug up the memory from her mind, she answered, "Fifteen. Why?"

Mordred went to hug the pillow on the futon. "Was it hard?" she asked. "Being a king at that age?"

Arturia smiled softly. "Merlin and Big Brother Kay assisted me around during my first days. Sir Bedivere and Sir Gawain came not long after the coronation too, so I was helped a lot."

Understood, Mordred nodded. "And at what age do Mother…ya' know?"

"Around ten years following the battle against Vortigern."

The Knight of Treachery hummed as she rocked back and forth, thinking quickly. "Then you must be thirty something when you had me," she said in a low voice. "But how did you-"

"Caliburn and Avalon," Arturia shrugged.

"What's your real age then?"

"I'm technically forty or so."


	3. Midnight Snack

She swore she just had been very very hungry that night.

Tiptoeing, she sneaked into the kitchen and pulled out a bag of potato chips that Shirou purchased some days ago. The barbecue flavor was indeed satisfying, she had to admit that she felt blessed for being summoned to this era. Crunching on her eighteenth, the sliding door suddenly opened and the lights flickered on.

"What are you doing?"

She knew who it was, so she continued to munched the chips. "I'm starving," she reasoned, "Want so-?" Mordred stopped dead as he saw her father, still glorious in her yellow pajamas, stood by the entrance with an unpleased expression written all over her face. In fact, it scared the former Knight of Treachery to the very least. She gulped.

"F-Father…"

A vein popped on Arturia's forehead. " _Damn you_ ," her teeth clenched altogether. After all, she was the one who had requested the snack to be bought for herself. The ad said it was the most heavenly thing _ever_ (perhaps better than Avalon, she thought to herself); but the hope was gone now.

"Father! I was just-"

"I WAS GOING TO EAT THAT, MORDRED!"


	4. Clothes

"So now you wear skirts, Father?"

Arturia had moved over from the wardrobe to where Mordred sat, the ponytailed girl admiring the folded garments Shirou had brought from the laundry. "It's not as different as it was back then," she defended herself. She had been wearing a white and blue dress for her entire life as a King, after all. It was common for her to wear skirts just below her knees too.

"I know," Mordred said. She took a better view at the brown colored miniskirt. "This one's so short, though!" a chortle escaped her, wondering what the Emiya boy had done to her beloved father.

"Are you saying I'm not good in them, Mordred?"

"I didn't say that. This one just really looks feminine," she laughed. "Are you going on a date with the redhead soon?"

Arturia blushed, trying to ignore the last question. She huffed, "At least mine is way more appropriate than that of your ripped hot pants."

"It's called as 'style', Father."


	5. Birthday

For sure, Mordred had long forgotten her own birth date. With all the wars and pressures she had to face back then, such trivial thing as a birthday had no room in her mind. She did not even checked the date of when she started the rebellion in Camelot or the day she died.

Because of it, she had absolutely no idea whatsoever when she found a well-tied box lying around her bed. She had tried to fight the urge to open it, thinking that it belonged to someone else, but soon she found herself untying the red ribbon and opening the lid to reveal two carp-shaped miniature flags on a stand: one black and the other blue. A card was also neatly placed inside. It read, ' _Happy Belated Birthday and Happy Children's Day.'_

Before she could determine whether or not it was hers, she saw Emiya Shirou passing her room with a pile of laundry on his hands. "Hey," she called him. "Do you have any idea whose gift is this?"

The redhead simply peeked through the shoji door. "Oh! A koinobori! She got you a present!" he exclaimed and immediately left.

Stunned, Mordred looked back at the figures inside the box. She carefully picked it up, eyeing the carp patterns and blew it, sending both fishes to turn on their pole. A huge grin then creeped to her lips like an idiot.

 _So Father remembered…_ and the very thought itself warmed her heart.


	6. Beaten Up

"Have you lost your _damn_ mind?!" Arturia shouted at her child who returned home with a black eye, blood and bruises decorated all over her face and body.

Mordred frowned at the pressed ice on her slashed cheek. "I was helping someone, alright?" she adjusted the tissue to stop her nosebleed. "There's a gang bullying a kid and that freaking kid couldn't just fucking sit nicely when I'm dealing with those ugly guys!"

"Language, Mordred! That doesn't explain how you got so beaten up this bad!" Arturia retorted. "I thought I had the best knights around the Round Table."

The younger girl gasped, offended. "Well they just keep coming and coming, and I had to protect that brat, 'kay? Then this one dude threw a blade, I forgot I didn't have Clarent with me, and then the freaking thing cut my face! I can't reveal my armor or sword, so I had to deal with it! And when I wanna' show off my strength, the brat fucking ran to a brute guy, I had to endure a fucking punch! Then-"

"Stay still, Mordred. The ice is slipping off."

"But, _Dad_ …!" she protested.

Arturia sighed as she continued to tend her son's injuries.

Scowling, Mordred rolled her eyes. "At least I am chivalrous."

"Yes," she nodded. "Yes, you are."


	7. Car

Once Illyasviel von Einzbern completely moved all her belongings from her castle in the woods, the Emiya residence was surprised by a silver Mercedes-Benz 300SL car. While Taiga checked on the vehicle enthusiastically, Shirou and Kairi glanced at each other, wondering how a little girl like Illya could own such a luxurious car. (Even the Tohsaka went to school by feet!)

"It was Irisviel's," Arturia informed in awe, she never thought she would see the car again. "Kiritsugu gifted it for her."

"The old man's that rich?" Shirou exclaimed.

"Well the Einzberns are, Onii-chan."

"I drove it in the fourth war."

"You drive cars?"

"So that's where Mordred's driving skill comes from. How are you not summoned as a Berserker?" Kairi asked his former Servant, shuddering as he recalled how wild she was when she controlled the wheels. The others turned with questioning looks.

"Whatever you mean by that?" Mordred raised an eyebrow, but quickly disregarded it.

"I never frenzied while driving," Arturia threw daggers at the tall man, "I obey the rules." _Except that one time._

"Hey," Mordred poked the white haired girl. "May I-?"

"No."


	8. Tasks

"You need to wake up because I can't do this without you," Mordred slipped her head into the bedroom.

Arturia groaned, her sleep disturbed. "You can ask Shirou…" she mumbled while pulling the covers over her head. "Close the door, Mordred," she demanded, wishing the sunlight to get away from her face.

"The boys went shopping, remember? Your boyfriend asked me to prepare the vegetables before they're back and I don't know how!"

Arturia sent a sleepy glare. "Shirou's not my boyfriend!" _He's my sheath._

"Whatever he is to you, help me! He said you can do it," Mordred protested. Seeing that her father had live with the Japanese boy longer that she had, it was not a surprise if the infamous King Arthur could do quite well in the kitchen. "Why are carrots harder to cut than humans?" she yelled in frustration.

"Alright, I'm up!" Arturia finally gave up. "What have you done so far?"

"Other than cutting the banana? Nothing much."


	9. Embarrassed

Sometimes, Mordred wondered why couples did PDA in this era, no matter at what street she was passing by. In Camelot, people seemed to have more self-conscious and they actually got a room before smooching or giving love bites. Even the kingdom's two lovebirds, Lancelot and Guinevere, dragged themselves to an empty room as a preparation to make out.

That day, she had been spying on Father and her boyfriend while they dated, curious to know where they were heading and the activities they would do. So far, the couple had took the bus, stopped at Shinto station, and entered a fancy buffet restaurant in which Arturia enjoyed all sort of foods listed on the menu. Then the two continued to a park bench, each holding a taiyaki on their hands, and that was when all hell broke loose.

As they sat together side by side, Arturia placed her head on the redhead's shoulder who had his arm wrapped around her. They talked too inaudibly for Mordred to hear, but she was certain they teased one another occasionally, Shirou sending kisses to Arturia's head. Once, she would slap him playfully on the elbow, giggling like a brat, and the whole thing ended when they closed the distance in between, separated to take some air and grinning broadly.

From that moment Mordred took a mental note to never spy on them ever again. She found it very uncomfortable to see her father with that redhead guy.


	10. Sick

Mordred looked up through bleary eyes, a long coughing fit following after punctuated by two mighty sneezes. Her teeth chattered although the room heater was definitely turned on. "I feel so crappy," Mordred admitted hoarsely. "I just want to lay here forever."

"I told you, Mordred," Arturia squeezed the water out of the towel, folding and placing it neatly on her son's forehead. "I told you," she repeated. "You just wouldn't listen and now you are burning up."

"It's not the rain, I'm sure I just-" a cough, "Haven't adapt to this body!" She quickly regretted the fact that she had yelled. Her throat got itchy as she balled herself under the thick layers of the blanket. "Oh God, I'm dying."

Arturia rolled her eyes. "You're fine, you just have a cold. Now drink up," she hunched forward with the medicine capsule and a glass of water on her hands.

"I said, I'm dying," Mordred whined.

"This isn't the plague. Now drink up."

The sick girl looked at the glass and her father back and forth, raising a brow in disbelief. "So cruel, Father," she pouted.

"I'm helping you to get better. Drink up."

"Ugh," Mordred groaned, taking the pill from Arturia. "But promise me to make a soup after this. I will sneeze on you if you don't."


	11. Gossips

She had been talking with Emiya Shirou that afternoon, munching down an entire watermelon as they sat on the veranda, enjoying the summer sun. The other girls were playing around the inflatable swimming pool, splashing water and firing toy guns, while Kairi raised the garden hose to add more fun.

"Say," Mordred started, she realized she never really did make a friendly conversation with the redhead. She decided, _It's now or never_. "How can Father accept you with these bunch of girls hanging around?"

Shirou gave her a weird look. "Umm… _what_?"

"You see, Father has a very poor luck in choosing a partner," she rested against the sliding door. "Merlin said that, anyway. Not me. I just happened to pass them while Father's chatting with him."

Mouth hung open, Shirou was totally speechless.

"His own sister - my mother - fuck him and that Guinevere whore cheated on him, ya' know. I mean I betrayed her at one point too, but at least I didn't have an affair or something like that." She took another slice of watermelon before continuing, "And that Lancelot- _damn_ , that hell of a 'best friend' got the balls to actually betray the whole Camelot! Can you imagine that? A kingdom full of scandal, and Father's still willing to rule it. Isn't he cool?"

"Y-Yes…?" Shirou awkwardly agreed.

"Man, I wish I could just take the freaking throne and put Father to pension so he could take a vacation or two," Mordred added. "But he wouldn't listen."

"Y-Yeah."

Abandoning the thought whether she should call him Father's boyfriend or girlfriend, she suddenly suggested,"As his lover, you should take Father to one. He deserves it: a good vacation and a loyal lover. So, don't you dare cheat on him or I'll cut your-"

"I would never," Shirou stopped her. "She's the only girl I'll ever have my eyes on."

Despite his sincere respond, Mordred laughed. "That's cheap!" she teased.

"I'm dead serious. You can trust me on this."

To that, a sense of relief oddly washed over her and Mordred couldn't help but smile. _Perhaps Father finally get what he deserves._


	12. Mustache

It was the curiosity to read her legend that killed her.

Mordred barged into the kendo room, laughing and panting at the same time. On her hand was the brown paperback which she had purchased in the shop that afternoon. It was quite a thick book, its cover was embossed with big golden letters of 'King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table'.

"Father!" she called out. "Look at what I've found!"

Shirou was lucky from getting hit as Arturia stopped in her tracks, turning to her child in one swift motion. "Mordred, I am in the middle of practice."

"No, _no_! You must check this out! This is insane!" she took long steps towards the two, holding the book open and directly shoving it to her father's face. "Look at this!" she cackled.

Arturia gave a puzzled look at the illustration shown to her. Printed right on the page was a middle-aged man, holding a sword and dressed like a noble with a crown on his head. He looked a lot like her late father King Uther Pendragon, but she was certain it was not him.

"Who is that, Mordred?" she asked.

" _What_?" the younger girl hold back a laugh. "Who does _this_ look to you?"

"My…father?"

" _No_!" she cried out, her stomach hurt from cracking up so hard. "This is _you_ , Father!"

Arturia jumped in shock.

Mordred laughed again, tears building in the corner of her eyes. "People nowadays are so dumb! Don't they discover Sir Kay's writings about you? I mean…" a short intake of breath, "I mean look at that mustache! _I've never seen a mustache so mighty_!"


	13. Haunted

They had watched horror movies the entire day to check out one of Illya's bucket list.

Although they started slow with the lowest ranked film they could find, it did not change the fact that the following ones were terrifying as hell. While the Einzbern and Kairi enjoyed them a lot, Shirou and Arturia tensed at every jump scare. Taiga had excused herself halfway, the two Tohsaka-Matou sisters cowered in terror, and Mordred…Mordred screamed almost every time.

Now the blonde was shaking under her pillow, recalling how the supposedly dead girl came back in a grand entrance: white dress, bloody face, and flying feet. There were so many sacrifices at the third story, a demonic cult chanting spells and she wondered if her mother Morgan le Fay practiced such incantations back in the days.

Her mind shifted to the scene where a cellphone rang from an anonymous number, and soon after the call was answered, it ended. Then, the sightings. _Oh_ , the black shadowy things. Until the end, the lurking figure's appearance when the main characters played ouija remained unsolved.

 _Right._

Next, there was this crying statue.

 _Stop_.

The screaming dead kid.

 _Stop it._

The creaking doors.

 _Stop it, you fucking brain!_

The moving swing.

 _That's it. I had enough._

Mordred jumped out of her bed, exited the bedroom, and sprinted through the corridors. Roughly, she opened the sliding door to where her father slept, revealing Shirou's and Arturia's connecting rooms were unseparated that night.

At the noise, the sleeping king groggily blinked her eyes open. "Mordred, what-"

"I can't sleep. Let me stay here," she begged. " _Please._ "

Arturia was quick to understand. She moved aside, patting the space beside her. Face lit up in joy, Mordred made her way and nuzzled into the futon while comforting herself. After offering her gratitude, she promised silently not to kick her father when the morning came.

In the end, they slept hugging each other until the sun rose from the east.


	14. Accidents

Arturia did not know if it was just her, but she felt that in this era, her son had a record to frequently come home with a battered face. That Friday, the teen had just been assigned to do some grocery shopping and by the timing she spent outside, Arturia knew Mordred had not deal with another yakuza group.

"So…" After a long look on the big red bump on Mordred's forehead, Arturia started her interrogation. "What happened?"

Mordred angrily whined. "The groceries were too much! I couldn't see what's ahead and I had to rely on my A-ranked endurance, B instinct and agility!" she screamed in irritation.

Arturia knew the kid loved drama, so she pressed on, "Then?"

" _Then_?" a scoff. " _Then_ , a fucking tree hit me! By the name of— _N-Never mind_. Oh, how I hate my C minus charisma and D luck! Why the hell am I not perfect?!"

"No one is perfect, Mordred."

She balled her palms into fists. "You know what? I'm totally gonna' wreck that beloved redhead of yours for asking me to do grocery!"

"It's not his fault," Arturia defended straightaway. "The tree did that to you. So by my utmost judgement, the tree deserves the punishment, not Shirou."

Mordred did not even think twice. "You're right," she agreed. "I'm gonna' bitch slap that tree!"


	15. Grave

"For a great king, you do have a fairly small grave," Mordred commented, blinking down on the tomb said to be King Arthur's.

Soon as Shirou and Rin got accepted in Clock Tower, Arturia and Mordred were both invited to accompany the two to London. The Tohsaka heiress was certain the father-son duo would like to see their homeland, the kingdom they had protected and loved. And so, after some preparations, the four set out on a vacation. One of their destination: Glastonbury Tor.

Now in front of the gravesite, Arturia crossed her arms over her chest, huffing. "For all I know, my body was brought to Avalon once I died," she said. It was pleasing to see fresh flowers adorning the site, but it perplexed her to realize that some men actually searched for her remains.

"You…died?" Shirou asked. "I thought you were just putted in an enchanted sleep. Books said you will return in England's greatest need."

"Well I don't know for sure because the Grail called for me when I was still in Camlann…"

"Oh! Maybe England is in its greatest need right now, and that's why Saber gained her mortal body!" Rin suddenly exclaimed.

"Tohsaka, that's a good theory!"

"I know, right?"

"No," Arturia refused to accept the idea, "The kingdom is perfectly fine as it is now, but I obviously did not die physically. The books said Sir Bedivere found me on the hill and escorted me to a holy isle before I went to Avalon. People must have made this grave to raise money."

The others sweat dropped.

"At least you have your own grave," Mordred added. "I _really_ died after I got stabbed by Rhongomyniad, and I don't even have one made for me."


	16. Pillow Fight

It all started with a girl talk, they swore to themselves.

The prelude to the war came when Mordred threw a pillow when Arturia requested one. The fluffy thing unfortunately landed on the king's face to compliment the knight's low-ranked luck. From there, the chaos began.

Now the whole bedroom was filled with cushion forts, smaller pillows were used as canon balls and bolsters as swords. Rin took cover in Arturia's side since she trusted her more, the other girl cladded in red pajamas seemed to get berserk after a remote hit her head.

"Can you two end your honorable battle?!" Poor Rin screamed in defeat. "We're in a hotel! Our neighbors are probably disturbed, and we still have a whole day to explore London tomorrow morning!"

"A battle between knights should end fairly, Rin! I promise I won't let you down!" Arturia responded as she blocked an attack of a plastic bottle.

"You _won't_ let me down if you stop this crazy fight now! The Holy Grail War is long gone, Saber!"

"This may not be the Holy Grail War, but it still is a war!"

"Father, take this!" Mordred threw a tissue roll this time around, the bathroom accessory flew in horrific speed. Arturia quickly deflected it with her left elbow as she readied the hotel's provided pen on her other hand.

Unable to take the 'small' pillow fight any longer, Rin crawled away. "That's it! I'm calling Emiya-kun!" she declared as she opened the door to reveal the redhead who was fortunate enough to have a room by the end of the hall. _Speaking of the devil!_

"Hi," Shirou greeted, his entrance ceased all the fight to an end. He sighed at the mess before him. "You're so noisy, the hotel workers were afraid to enter and they had to call me to stop you all."


	17. Clouds

"Hey."

"Hm?"

"That one looks like a giant gummy bear, is it not?"

"I think so too. The one over there is a turkey, and next to it is a baguette."

"I think it is more to an egg than a baguette."

"…Maybe it is."

They lied down on the grass side by side, staring at the vast blue sky.

Mordred turned her head. "Have you ever wondered why some clouds look like foods?"

"Because hunger is the enemy."


	18. Nightmare

She jerked awake in a violent start, skin cold and clammy, her golden hair plastered to her face. Heaving, she sat up as she tried to erase the visions that haunted her in her sleep. In the sleepless night such as tonight, past memories would resurface and she had to see the hideous twists on her fallen kingdom once more.

"Saber?" Shirou's voice is slurred and sleepy. "Again?"

She shuddered before nodding. "Sorry, I woke you up. It keeps coming…"

"Don't apologize."

Warm familiar arms then wrapped around her slender body, pulling her form to press against another's. Shirou rested his head on hers while she turned in his grasp, embracing him back. His fingers ran through her hair and drew circles on her back.

"Was it Mordred?" he asked softly.

She nodded.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

She didn't hesitate. "Morgan hurt her as a child… I did nothing and simply stood, watching them… I did not know what to do…"

"It's okay," he whispered. "She's now here, safe with us."

Arturia nodded again. "I know… But I'm such a bad parent, aren't I?" a sad chuckle escaped her as she stared at him with glistening eyes.

Shirou shook his head, landing a small kiss on her temple. "Maybe you were. But the you right now…don't even question it, Saber. Mordred is very happy to be with you here. She said so herself."


	19. Wish

"I saw them in the shopping center. _Both_ of them. Just hanging around and they had these newly purchased bunny plushies, playing tea party with some invisible cup set, and it seemed…" Mordred trailed off, trying a good word to reasoned with, "…Fun."

The two people sitting in the living room shut the television off, puzzled looks painted all over their faces. After a stroll at the city's mall, Mordred was finally back with the limited edition shirt she had been craving for weeks. However, it did not stop there. They did not expect the slamming on the door, hasty steps, and her sudden mighty barge into where they were.

The former Servant had said imperceptible things, too rushed up for them to hear. Once she was done, they had requested her to start all over again, but it was still unclear as to what she was hinting at.

The redhead decided to speak up since the blonde beside him was entirely clueless. "Uhh… I assume you want a plushy?" he took a guess.

Mordred grunted in annoyance. "No! That's not it!"

"The tea set, then?"

"Not that too, you idiot!" she pulled on her side bangs, screaming. "I was on my way back when I saw them, 'kay? But then the fun- Ugh, the _fun_! I want it! I know this is weird to ask, but I just want one!"

"The amusement park's open tomo-"

"NOT THAT TOO!"

"Then Mordred, do pray tell, what exactly do you want?" Arturia intervened, the attitude on her child was exaggerated yet entertaining to watch. Despite that, she had to ease it. A crazy Mordred was not one she liked to deal with, especially if it resulted on broken furnitures.

The girl in the red jacket seemed unsure for a moment, her brows twitched and she had a nervous sweat running down as she gulped. "A… _ing,_ " she started, _"_ I mean I'm fine with… _oy_ , but I prefer… _rl_? I don't know… I'm fine with both either way!"

"W- _What_?" Shirou hesitated at what he perceived.

"Speak more clearly, Mordred," Arturia demanded. "What are you telling us?"

The said person took a step backward before she cowered, steaming in shame. "Promise me you won't be mad once I told you?" she asked.

The couple only tilted their heads in confusion.

"I- I want… _a sibling_."


	20. Sleepless Night

They found each other right away.

The coldness of the winter night blew her face as she approached the veranda. Mordred saw her father sitting on the platform, the bun-tied hair was let loose. She dragged herself through the wooden floor, her hold tightened on the blanket around her.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked.

Arturia lifted her head to see the other blonde, shifting from her position to give a space. "Speak for yourself," she said, not wanting to give a direct answer.

Mordred chuckled, knowing how her father never really responded to her questions straightaway. She herself could not sleep because of the freezing temperature. "It's chilly tonight," she commented as she sat. "Wanna' share?"

Arturia looked at the blanket and accepted it, realizing that she had actually been shivering. She thanked her before handing the younger girl a mug of hot chocolate she brewed a while ago. "It's not as good as Shirou's, but it will warm you up."

"Whoa…thanks."

"You're welcome."

Then, there was an awkward silence looming between the two. Mordred sipped on the drink, letting the heat emitted from the glass to warm her hands. It was delicious, much to her liking, she could taste the melted marshmallow and all that. Beside her, Arturia snuggled in the embrace of the blanket, drawing breath to herself.

"I had a dream," the former King of Britain confessed all of the sudden. "It was the Fourth Holy Grail War over and over again…"

"Whoa. Who did you encounter back then? The spirits?" Mordred turned in curiosity.

"Before that, who did _you_ encounter during your war?"

Mordred hummed, thinking. "It was crazy— There were fourteen pairs— a complete wreck! There's this Siegfried guy, the priest guy, Aviceborn something, Chiron, Frankenstein that I defeated, that Semiramis hag that I defeated too, this pink-haired dude girl-look-alike, the ruler Jeanne d'Arc-"

"Wait," Arturia cut in. "You met her? The Holy Maiden Jeanne d'Arc?"

"Sure did! What's up with that?"

"I met her comrade Gilles de Rais in the fourth war," Arturia revealed. "He was one twisted man… He mistook me for her and almost half of the kids around the neighborhood went missing, tortured to death by him. He was later defeated by me and the others in Mion River."

"Oh, I've seen the shipwreck! It's Excalibur, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah," Arturia admitted shyly. "The bridge over it was also where the King of Conquerors and the King of Heroes battled each other."

"Iskandar and Gilgamesh?"

She nodded. "And there were the Hassans, the First Knight of Fianna, and…" she winced at the dreadful memory, "Sir Lancelot."

Mordred had her eyes widened as she noticed the change of the mood. "Lancelot?" she did not mean to gasp, but the surprise was real. " _How_?"

Arturia bit on her inner jaw. "He was summoned as Berserker by the Matou family under Mad Enhancement, so I honestly did not know it was him until our final confrontation."

"You…defeated him?"

"I did," her voice was strained, as if someone had hit her right in the gut and she was still recovering. After a long thought, she collected the guts to talk furthermore about the Knight of the Lake. "He had wished to be judged by me, he wished for atonement from his crimes and demanded penance. In the end, I couldn't save him. I failed everyone of you and I did not even get the Grail to restore everything back. I should have never been a king."

Tears started to gather in the corner of her eyes when unexpected arms wrapped around her. Arturia was surprised, but welcomed the comfort nonetheless. She looked down to her child, carefully began to run her fingers through the messy blond hair.

"And I simply want you to be happy," Mordred spoke ever so softly. "That's all, Father."

"Thank you."


End file.
